Gate-latch.



No. 727,139. 4 PATENTED MAY 5., 1903.

D'. o. HBsToN. GATE LATCH.

APPLIOATION FILED DBO. 31. 1902.

NTTE STATES Patented May 5, 1903.

EETCE.

PATENT GATE#l LATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 727,139, dated May 5, 1903.

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, DEWITT C. H Es'roN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Greenville, in the county of Bond and State of Illinois, have invented a new andv useful Gate-Latch, ot which the following is a speci? cation.

This invention relates to latches for securing gates or other swinging closures, and has for its object the production ot a gate-latch simple in construction and position and sure in its action, which will hold the closure member at two or more points and operative with one actuating means; and the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, as hereinafter shown and described, and specified in the claims.

In the drawings illustrative of the invention, in which corresponding parts are denoted by like designating characters, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a gate with the improvement applied. Fig. 2 isa sectional detail illustrating the relative arrangement of the spring-actuated latch and its supporting-framework.

The improved device is more particularly designed for use in securing farm-gates, but may be employed in connection with any transversely-swinging closure, such as the doors of barns or sheds and the like, and I do not, therefore, wish to be limited in the use of For the purpose of illustration the improved device is shown applied to aportion of afarmgate of the usual construction, with. spaced" outer vertical members 10 11, connected to the opposite side of the spaced rails 12, the latter being fu rther supported by vertical side members 13 14, spaced from the members 10 11, as shown.

The stationary post against which the gate swin gs when closed is indicated at 15 and will form the terminal of the fence upon that side of the gateway-openingin the usualmanner.

Slidably disposed between two of the rails 12 near the bottom of the gate is a latchfl, and likewise slidably disposed between a pair of the rails near the upper portion of the gate is a similar latch 17, the latches extending by one end in advance of the members 10 11 and adapted to respectively enter sockets 19 2O in the -post 15 when in operative position and extending by their rear or inner ends between thevvertical members 13 14, which thus serve not 'only as supports to the rails, but as guides for the rear or inner ends of the latches.

The upper latch member is provided with aspring 21, exerting its force to maintain the latch member normally in engagement with its socket19, as shown.

Pivotally attached intermediately to the gate-frame, as at 29, and likewise pivoted by one end at 22 tothe latch 17, is an operating handledever 23,,with the upper end extending above'n the upper rail 12 in convenient position to be reached by the operator.

Movably connected, as by a loop 24, to the latch 16 is a connecting-lever 25, this lever being intermediately pivoted at 26 to the gate, as shown,.and connected by a link 27 to the handle-lever at 28. The handle-lever 23, it will be noted, thus becomes the operatingl'ever for both latchesby the connections be tween the levers. All-the connected levers and latches are'thus-movably connected in position to be actuated by the one spring 21 and both latches maintained normally in their outward or operative position and in engagement with their respective sockets.

When the gate is to be released, it is only necessary to throw the lever 23 forward,when the coaction of the levers and connectinglink will withdraw both latches at the same time. Thus the whole action may be accomplished with one handle-lever and with one movement of the latter. By this simple means avery effective and secure fastening vis provided, which 'willsecure the gate at both the upper and lower parts and prevent its being opened by either small or large animals. In gates having latches applied only at one point pressure exerted against the lower part by hogs and other small animals or against the upper part by horses, cows, or other of the larger animals tends to twist and distort the gate and frequentlybreaks them, but with my improved double-latching means the gate is rmly supported'both at the lower and upper portions, and will thus resist pressure equally at all points, While Vat the same time the two latches are operated as easily as if there were only one employed.

The levers and latches may be of any de- IOO sired size to adapt them to the gate or other closure to which they areV applied and may be attached to any of the ordinary constructions of such devices.

All the parts except the spring and bolts will generally be of wood, but may be of other material, if desired, or partially of wood and partially of metal, and the proportions may be modified to any desired extent to adapt the device to changes in structure without departing from the principle of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A gate having spaced latches adapted to respectively engage sockets in a gate-post, a handle-lever pivotally connected by one end to one of said latches, a connecting-lever intermediately pivoted and movably connected by one end to the other of said latches, and a link connecting the other end of said connecting-lever to said handle-lever, substantially as described.

2. A gate having an upper latch, a spring disposed to hold said upper latch normally projected, a lower latch, a handle-lever movably connected by one end to said upper latch, a connecting-lever intermediately pivoted and movably connected by one end to said lower latch,and a link connecting the free end of said connecting-lever to said handle-lever, substantially as described.

3. In a gate, a supportingpost having spaced latch-sockets, the gate mounted to swing past said post, an upper latch carried by said gate relatively near its upper part and adapted to engage one of said socket-s, a spring disposed to maintain said upper latch normally in engagement with its socket, a lower latch carried by said gate relatively near its lower part and adapted to engage the other of said sockets, a handle-lever lnovably connected by one end to said springactuated latch, a connecting-lever intermediately pivoted and movably connected by one end to said lower latch, and a link movably connecting the free ends of said leverhandle and connecting-lever, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

D. C. HESTON.

Witnesses:

E. P. POINDEXTER, JOHN L. BUNCH. 

